(L to R) Traceurs (Parkour practitioners) "Yutaro", "Zen" and Jun "Sullivan" Sato. Practicing Parkour in Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan, January 27, 2012. Parkour is a modern method of physical training, also known as freerunning. It was founded in France in the 1990s. There is a small group of around 50 parkour practitioners in Tokyo.